When speaking about creativity and novel ideas, it is really often that people are enthusiastic and proactive. But are we lacking of good ideas?

Don’t fear to lack of ideas. You will always have tons of « good » ideas

Having creative and novel ideas is not an issue. Put 10 people in a room for 1 day with a good methodology (stay tuned on INNOWEO for that 😉 ) and I guaranty that they will come out with at least 5 to 10 concepts that worth to look closer.
Every brainstorming session will end with a few good ideas.

Why so few see the light of the day?

The main reason why so few ideas come to reality is the lack of empowerment and the lack of responsability.

Really often at the end of a brainstorming seesion, all team members goes back in their office and nothing happens. If no one is ready to take risks for the idea, it is quite normal that very few are actually realized.

As Innovation manager it is key for us to inverse this curve and make more ideas a reality. Don’t mess you up. It means that the organisation has to support your game.

Here are my tips to guaranty that ideas are at least studied and some be saved from the dark night they are heading to.

My 5 tips

Find ambassadors or champions (who will drive and support the projects, from top exec to project managers, via technicians.., your champs can be everywhere in your organisation).

Have team members (of your creativity workshop) engaged by setting a list of actions for each of them

Prove the value by communicating on good results

increase the number of participating people: the more people involved in saving ideas, the more ideas saved

Train your execs. Focus on value added and value creation to explain your execs how wonderful new ideas are. If you are successful, no more budget and resources issues 😉

As an entrepreneurs your first job ever is to win a client. Your first clients are more important than the state of your product itself. Never forget that your clients are paying your bills, your salaries and giving you the opportunity to invest and develop your activity.

What is the most important when having your first clients?

Once you have your first clients your new job is to make them come back and buy again. It is really important that you realize recurring customers or supportive customers are the best way to secure your business.
Recurring customers are buyers coming back and buying, same or other stuffs.
Supportive customers are happy customers that are keen in supporting you and your business by giving you positive feedback and testimonials.

How do you find your recurring or supportive customers?

They will find you. Because your products provide them big values. However you have one important thing to do. Identify and connect to them, communicate and help them in their new unconscious task to promote your business. So you have to establish a relationship with your customers. You have plenty of solutions to do so. Social Media are of course one straight forward way to establish it. Phone calls, emails are « old fashioned » but still very efficient.
But the most important thing is to keep track of your relationships to be sure you will provide them with the right info at the right time and not bother them by too much contacts or no contact at all. To keep this trace of what are your interaction with your customers, especially in B2B business but also in B2C, be sure you have from the beginning of your activity a good tool to secure all the data. Those data are gold for you to track customer activities and relationships as well as providing them the right info, the right offer that will boost your business.

Use the right tool for your activity

To manage correctly your customers you need a tool. It is absolutely impossible to do it by hand. You can have access to a broad range of CRM tools, offline or online, at various price (from free to…).
As you start an activity please consider to use a free tool or at least its free version.
The most simple too is an Excel spreadsheet. However you will discover really fast that your excel file is not that easy to easy. I would advise you to use one of the online free tools. they are professional and well done. They can embedded a lot of additional functions which you also should check to make your choice. Take care to check the paid version capabilities as well as proposed plan to be sure that it will fit your needs if you need one day to go to the paid version. Nothing is more boring and stressing that migrating a CRM. The table below from Capterra, presents the main online CRM. This list is not complete and you should spend sometime on the net to be sure you have seen all available solution.

Spend sometime also to get into your CRM and configure it completely. CRM can do a lot of things for you so be sure to use those tools at their full power. It will provide you more value and free your time.
Consider also to integrate your CRM with a marketing platform to automate your marketing and client relationships (such as mailchimp or equivalent)

Those tools are the best way to manage your customers and be sure that not a single one is let aside when business is on the mood. However you should not spend too much time on it but on developing your business. So please automate as much as possible. Each CRM got his own automation and if you link it with a marketing platform you could just skyrocket.
Last tip, connect it using Zappier to establish actions on trigger. That’s the perfect way to have semi-automated actions done at the right time.

I personnaly used Zoho in connection with MailChimps and Zappier. It saves me lot of times and help really to develop my business and relationships in a good manner. However please choose your own tool and solutions to be sure it fits your needs and values.

Two ressources to discover those solutions:
http://blog.capterra.com/free-and-open-source-crm/
https://zapier.com/blog/best-free-crm/

For a couple of months now I am testing the Strategyzer Business Model Design Space card deck.

It is a nicely quality printed car deck to help you make the point on what is going on on your business environment to prepare your business model innovation. It helps to understand the forces that act on your model, uncover trends, weaknesses and opportunities for a new and innovative business model.

This is not a tool to facilitate the business model canva itself but more to make the business model generation more reliable and innovative.

The goal is to map out physically around your business model canva all the forces that act on it. Thus, visually you have a representation of those forces around your business. Just as it is in real life.

The deck itself

Nicely printed on quality paper, it is composed of 5 categories of cards.

Each card is a set of questions that one should ask to the group. Each card has a title and a subtitle that allows understanding clearly the meaning and the aim of the card.

The “how-to” cards
Frankly speaking this is most of the time missing in the cards deck one can buy to facilitate workshop (see IDEO design cards). Those 6 cards explains you the goals of the workshop, how to implement it, the materials, the groupe, what outcome should be awaited and what are the possible next steps. Very valuable to start.

The “Industry force” family
Those cards aim to describe what is going on regarding the industry (competitors, new entrants, substitute, stakeholders…

The “market force” family
They address everything related to the market tectonic: issues, demand, segments, costs…

The “Key trends” family
Technology, regulations, society… are seen here

The “Macroeconomic” family
Those cards will focus more precisely on global market conditions, capital, commodities and resources etc….

For each family you have 4 cards on each topic with about 5 questions. Once you have answered all the questions you have a nice overview of the particular topic.

Reshaping the business model canva facilitation

I have used the deck to facilitate 3 pre-workshop so far, mainly for small businesses (as pro bono facilitator). Unfortunately I have no pics of our very funny, very productive WS.

The deck opened my eyes about Business Model canva facilitation. Before I was jumping right ahead into the canva itself, neglecting in a way the entire environment in which the business was done. Even if we were pretending to take it into account, we weren’t. The visual display of the environment that allows the deck helps a lot during the business model making process itself. And some errors can thus be avoided.

Now I use a new process for Business Model Innovation:

All those workshops can be actually performed sequentially the same day, even during the same workshop. However I think it is important to have them all. I am still wondering if Actual BM workshop should be after the Environment one (please leave a comment if you have a proposition), however, the steps are here.

Having those workshops at different times and locations is of a huge interest and I really advise to do so. It helps people to fully think, aggregate and compile the data and the results of each WS in the meantime. That’s key and provide a lot of value if you plan a 30min “back-to-previous-results” slot at the beginning of the subsequent WS.

As usual, if you plan a Business Model Innovation, be sure that you work in detail and with a lot of care on the composition of the group. This is somehow the most important preparation step.

Exactly as the wild life, you need an adapted ecosystem to foster innovation.

As I already wrote in a previous article, the lonely innovator is a myth (in french). You need an adequate ecosystem both inside and outside your organisation to innovate wisely and fast.

Innovation comes from the inside

Of course without a strong commitment of your organisation, your team will hardly innovate. The recipe to have a strong innovation mindset within your company is key but difficult to find. Many attempts will be made before finding all the necessary ingredients and quantities. However, some fundamentals can be listed:

Strong involvement of the management, from top to low level.
From my point of view that’s the most important point. People have to see that innovation is clearly a strategic goal and according to that goal, management acts to achieve it. It will also give a lot of confidence and energy to the innovation team which will have hard times and deserts to cross.

Available tools. Good tooling doesn’t make a bad worker a good one but it can help, definitely help. Among the tools that helps innovation we can list:

creativity method: there are a lot out there. I use a 5 diamond one that have been developed some +10 years ago and which I now help to keep alive and align on best practice. A must have.

Innovation Lab: Mine has two areas : One to be creative, work on business model canvas, have an open mind etc… The second is really a FabLab with prototyping and mock-ups possibilities, a 3D printer, an arduino test bench etc…

A dedicated location. Your innovation Lab can be this area where people know they can go to organise meetings, meet-ups to think a bit differently. In our lab, walls are of different colours (it also helps to define the different areas), quotes are on the walls, magazines and newspapers are on the table, nice coloured chairs…

Some kind of freedom. Most organisation use a very defined and limited process to handle R&D and even Innovation. Having a dedicated process to handle innovation is already fine (it show also the management interest if they deal with another process 😉 ) but it has to be faster, easier, smother and more agile than the existing ones. At the end it gives some more freedom and possibilities to the employees to test… eventually fail but may be succeed.

If I set everything upwards, I am done to innovate? Not really…

You will not innovate alone

Really few organisation are able to innovate by themselves. One can list some like Intel, Google, IBM… not even sure that Apple would have been what it is now by itself. Some Must-Have should be put in place by your innovation team:

Connection to the academic world and best schools
Very few companies have the abilities to develop cutting-edge technologies by themselves. Early access to coming technologies is key to disrupt your market and achieve the so-called blue ocean. To do so, you have to deploy a net all around you and especially at top universities, engineering schools… Don’t forget to map the business schools around you as more and more innovation are on the business model side. In Lyon where I work, I have around me and connection with a top university, 2 of the most successful engineering schools and a top 3 business school. that’s key.. and also key to source wonderful interns 😉

Connection to your peersBenchmarking your practices is really healthy to innovate faster and to not being stick in a way that doesn’t work that good. finding your peers is really powerful. It gives you a good view of the best practices and help you to position your innovation process among what exists in the place. I have access myself to more than 30 peers, innovation managers of directors of established companies with who I share our approach and practices. Fairly efficient. Even to exchange technologies and suppliers if your business are far enough.

Connection to the entrepreneurs world, from start-ups to mid sized companies
I do it using 2 ways. First the business Union and the french Industry council: works fine. However the best way to get in touch with what is going on is to go out of our frontiers. I have taken parts to Start-ups week-ends, meet-ups, presentations, pitch challenges… that helps a lot.

Connection to officialsDon’t forget to have connections with officials and of course mainly those dealing with the business side. Depending of your country and town, they can be from the state, the region, the city or some specialized council. Don’t forget it because it can really help in some particular cases.

Innovating is a hard job. Put all chances on your side by developing a favourable ecosystem around you. that’s key.

What items would you add to this ecosystem? Please leave a comment.

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As intrapreneur and innovation enthusiast I have to be curious and look what is going on. And I am always happy to share something I think valuable to the community.

As we are at work in the process to build an accelerator for our internal projects, this article from Pascale Diaine attracted my eyes.

My point about what Pascale is sharing with us is really about the people, how to be empathic a both start-upers and company employees and how to be humble enough to accept that young people are may be reshaping your business.

In a previous article I was talking about the fears the parties could have in an Open Innovation partnership. Here I will propose you some good practice, especially regarding Intellectual property, which is key in this kind of relationships.

A real win /win

When I have had to deal an Open Innovation contract, I never faced a fail due to a real simple approach. From the start of the discussion, as I work in a big company (this article reflects my opinion and not my company by the way), I have made things very clear.

If we work together it is on a win / win basis. We help you to develop your concept/technology/usage or whatever you would like, but in exchange, You will grant me a free license to sue it in my domain. It si a quite easy deal when the domain you are working in is not mainstream. It can be more complicated if you are in the targeted business of the start-up.

Explain, explain and explain

Even if it is less and less the case, start-ups don’t always have legals that take the time to explain them the contract. Do it. Explain it. A clear situation is a situation that will hardly go bad.

Think about different kind of partnership: Money is not the only way

Often in Open Innovation we think about giving money to the developers to develop faster of in a way that fulfil your requirements. However you have much more to offer as an established company, I just listed some of the ones I have in mind right now. Be creative!

Benchmarking can be a very powerful tool for innovation. I use it very often and it has really to be mastered if you want to avoid falling in usual traps.

Why should innovators and/or project managers benchmark?

I think that most innovators and PM benchmark even without noticing it.
Good pratices identification, sharing of experience, identification of patterns etC… the goods of benhcmarking is not to demonstrate (and there are some more than the ones I have listed here)
As we all know, innovation begins with curiosity. When you benchmark you are actually the most curious woman/ma on earth.
Positionning you and your company among your peers is the most important thing both as an innovator and as a project manager as you have to understand wether you are in good shape and in a good dynamic or if you are close to fall down in the precipice.

What are the common mistakes in benchmarking?

I personnaly use benchmarking for several needs. Each of those topics have their own tricks and issues but one common should be named now:

It is not because it is Google that it will work at home

Meaning that it is not because one practice work perfectly in another company that it will make you the next worldwide leader on your market. Your organisation has its own culture and history, its own employees with their strength and weaknesses, it own processes and own clients. Never forget to take care of that when trying to import something that works outside inside your own company.

How to leverage on benchmarking efforts?

I used always the same approach when benchmarking a company or a internal project etc…

Humility
One has to be very humble when benchmarking, humble but visionnary. This very nice process seems to be better than yours but you are not bad and changing will certainly add more troubles than benefis.

Brake, brake, brake.
Always try to espace/avoid/run far from the Wahou effect. A nice presentation, a friendly talk, amazing results on the bottom line are signs that you have to study the situation, not 100% to apply it.

Always in question
The real question you have to ask yourself always and always is:

How will I create special value out of that

That is the only mantra you should have in mind.

Benchmarking is a tool that is very powerful to innovate within your company or your project. You should use it as much as possible with regards to the above issues.

And you, do you see more issues and good practices regarding benchmarking?

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